Speed-indicator.



W. N. ALLAN.

SPEED INDICATOR.

APPLICATION men JULY 24. 1912.

1,146,91 3. Patented July 20, 1915.

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WILLIAM N. ALLAN, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

SPEED-INDICATOR.

To all whom it mag] concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. ALLA a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements 1 in Speed-Indicators, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to speed indicators for vehicles and especially adapted for automobiles, and the primary object of the invention isto provide means in connection with an indicator that will show by different colored fields as well as by large numbers in the latter the speed, of an automobile passing along-a street or thoroughfare and enabling the public to readily ascertain the rate of travel of theautomobile or other vehicle from either side of the street or thor oughfare, the'said means being readily discernible by night through the medium of an illumination or fields.

A further object of the invention isto provide a speed indicator which is positive and accurate in its operation and from which the public may readily ascertain the rate .at which a vehicleor automobile is traveling at a .distancefromthe latter and without requiring a close inspection of a speedometer or other device ordinarily used light shining through the V and carried Within the vehicle or automobile out of view of persons who maybe walking or. standing on a sidewalk or pavement. f

A still further object of the invention is to provide a speed indicator that may be readily applied to a vehicle or automobile and having, means in connection therewith whereby the number of the automobile may be fully displayed and readily seen.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the preferred construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed. i

In the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention is'disclosed, though it will be understood that changes in the proportions, dimensions and minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the 11117911131011 1 Y Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July 2c, 1915.

Application filed July 24, 1912. Serial No. 711,319.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a speed indicator embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of a portion of one of the indicating tapes or shiftable indicators. Fig. 3 is a cross-section ofa portion of the tape or indicator.

The numeral 5 designates a casing which may be of any suitable material, preferably thin sheet metal, and provided with a ventilating top cap 6 of any preferred contour and connected to curved side walls 7 of approximately semicircular form in cross-sec1 tion and forming seats for a purpose which will be more fully hereinafter explained. The casing will be provided with suitable illuminating means therein, such as a lamp, and at opposite sides of the casing are sight openings covered with glass or other transparent plates 14 constituting windows. The front of the casing also has a transparent plate 15 mounted therein and adapted to recasing 5 are indicating devices in the form of tapes or webs 94' which are exposed through the sight openings covered by the glass or other transparent plates 14 through which the light is adapted to shine when it is desired to use the speed indicator at night. It is also proposed to use a similar indicating device or tape in connection with the opening at the rear of the casing so that the driver or operator of the vehicle may be apprised of the speed of the vehicle. The glass or transparent plate covered openings 14: will be disposed for view of pedestrians or others passing along the roadway or street where the vehicle equipped with the speed indicator may be running or moving.

Each of the tapes is similar in construction and is of the form shown by Figs. 2

and 3 by preference, though it may be modi- "ings 97 arranged in parallel pairs and surrounded by the uncut portions of the sheet metal, a central partition strip 98 dividing the openings and from the latter horizontal dividing strips 99 extend to continuousedge strips 100. There are two tape members ap plied to each body 96, said tape members being formed of suitable'l'abric, as at 101, and threaded in and outwardly over the horizontal division strips 99 between the strips 98 and 100 and by this means the tapes are firmly attached. or held intact with the sheet metal body 96. The tapes are similarly colored in equal sections throughout their length, the tapes at their starting points or extremities being iin'colored or White, as at 102, and bearing numerals from 1 to 5 in sequence thereon and indicating that up to five miles 'thetapes will show white through the sight openings.

' tape is white from the numeral 6 to the first 0. The next section of the units tape of the distance section 1041, which indicates sixteen to thirty miles, is green in color, as at 105, from the numeral 1 to then'umeral 5 or up to the numerals indicating twenty-five miles, and the remaining portions of both tapes of section 104 are red. The next distance section 106 starting with thirty-one miles up to forty-five or fifty miles,

as the case may be, is di'flerently colored, the tape carrying the tens numerals being purple and the tape carrying the units numerals I being white and afterward colored as explained in connection with the distance section 101- except that purple Willpredominate as the distinguishing color and with which both green and red may be used on the units tape. All of the units and tens numerals on the two tapes will be of a distinguishing character or be shown in black by preference, but it will be understood that any schedule of colors may be used on the tapes other than those above mentioned to represent certain distances.

It will be'seen from the foregoing that the tapes indicate the speed of the vehicle or automobile, not only by means of numerals, but through the medium of a predetermined arrangement of colors and uncolored portions of the; tapes, the colors showing through the sight openings with distinguishing effect relatively to the numerals and vice versa and rendering the ment or have ample clearance relatively to the parts adjacent to which they are mounted, and, furthermore, the said tapes or bands will be held under suitable tension. The portions of the shiftable indicating devices carrying the tapes may have no indicating neans whatever thereon at points above and below the sight openings which would never be exposed throughthe latter, but at their opposite extremities the indicating devices will bes'uitably secured to drums or spools.

The indicatorjas a whole is applied to "the machine or vehicle so thatthe glass or transparent plate 15 will stand toward the front with the sight openings" 1 1 atopposite sides andthe sight openings that may be disposed at the rear. Whenfthe vehicle or machine is in a state of restthe-tapes or bands will show no numerals or colors through the sightfopenings, g

The improved indicator willserve as a public safety device by exposing to .those adjacent to a vehicleorautomobile thespeed at which the latter isru'nnin'g and it. can thus be readily seen whether the vehicle is rimning over the speed limit of whatever community or municipality in which it may be traveling. I The improved indicating meansalso may be readily seen by the occupants of the vehicle or automobile and it is obvious that if the speed is excessive it limits, and by this means reckless propulsio'n or driving can be avoided. a What is claimed is:

1. In a speed indicator-, a plurality of "uniformly shiitable transparent indicating bands of flexible material movable longitudinally together in "parallel relation, the

bands carrying differentiating speed indi cating media in the form of variously colored positively defined sections and numerals on the sectlons 1n acontrasting shade,

the colored sections in part being both the uniformly shiftable transparent bands'made of flexible material and movable longitudinally and disposed in fparal lelrelationin the same plane relatively toeach other, the

' bands moving together and having .diiferentiating speed media thereon in the form of. succeeding color SGCtlOIlS with numerals on the colorsin a contrastingshade,the colors being arranged in sections on the bands and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set being both the same and varying in adjacent my hand in presence of two subscribing sections transversely of the bands and in Witnesses.

part consisting of a single row of sections of WILLIAM N. ALLAN. 5 a uniform shade and in part a double row Witnesses:

of colored sections which are both the same CHAS. A. ROWE,

in shade and also differing in shade. CHAs. S. HYER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. G. 

